Printing mechanism



May 5, 1936- F. J. FURMAN PRINTING MECHANISM Original Filed June 27, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l H INV ENTOR. M

ATTORNEYS.

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May 5, 1936- F. J. FURMAN PRINTING MECHANISM OriginaI'Filed June 27, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A TTORNEYS.

Patented May 5, 1936 PRINTING MECHANISM Frank J. Furnian, Vestal, N. Y., 'assignor to International Business Machines Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York I Original application June 27, 1931, Serial No.

547,197. Divided and this application May 8, 1934, Serial No. 724,474

6 Claims. (Cl. 101-93) This invention concerns printing machines and is a division of the copending application Serial No. 547,197, filed June 27, 1931.

a The invention relates to printing machines and is more particularly directed to the provision of a machine in which printing may be effected with great rapidity and also in which a plurality of printing operations may be efiected in extremely rapid succession.

In the recorder art, when applied in connection with such machines as accounting machines, adding machines, tabulating machines and the like, printing is usually effected by differentially displacing one or more type carriers to one or more determined positions, then arresting the type carriers, thereafter taking an impression from all of them at once and afterwards restoring the type carriers to normal position. In the class of machines in which printing is thus effected simultaneously from a plurality of carriers the shock and impact necessary to obtain a clear impression subject the'machine to excessive strain and either the printing becomes inaccurate or the machine is damaged.

The mechanism necessary to cause printing from all the carriers at one time requires a considerable portion of an operating cycle to function which constitutes a retarding factor to speedy operation.

The present embodiment in its preferred form contemplates a power actuated printing hammer individual to each type carrier. Coupling means is provided to couple the hammer to the driving means concurrently withthe stopping of its associated carrier in differential printing position so that printing is effected immediately upon arrival of a selected type in printing position, 0bviating the loss of time and shock of impact heretofore present.

The main object .of the invention resides in the provision of a zero printing mechanism. It is the custom in punching-record cards for card controlled machinesto place a perforation in each card column to minimize the risk of inadvertently omitting a significant figure and any column in which. no significant figure or digit occurs is punched in the zero position. These zero perforations occur to the left of the first significant figure of a number as well as to the right of it but in printing numbers consisting of figures of several different denominational orders it is desirable to suppress the printing of all zeros to the left of the first significant figure while permitting the printing of all zeros to the right of this figure regardless of their position with respect to any other figure of the number. The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which:

, Fig. 1 shows the mechanical structure of the printing mechanism;

Fig. 2 shows the operating devices for th printing mechanism; and

Fig. 3 is a detail showing the zero printing control circuits. 1 i

The device may be applied to a printing tabulator of the type disclosed in the patent to Daly and Page 1,762,145, issued June 10, 1930. Cards are fed successively past upper analyzing brushes and lower analyzing brushes LB (Fig. 3) and as they pass the latter the items represented by their perforations may be entered into accumulators and also printed by printer magnets l0. 1

On a change in the group classification perforations the groupcontrol system interrupts accumulating and a total taking operation may be initiated during which the printing of totals is also controlled by the printing magnets I II.

These operations are well understood and fully explained in the patent referred to above.

Each card column contains ten index point positions differentially located to represent the ten digits and adiiferent digit is represented by a perforation in each position. As the card passes the lower brushes LB the position of its index points determines the time of closure. of circuit through the analyzing brushes and the resulting current impulses may energize selected printer magnets l0 when the latter'are properly plugged to the lower analyzing brushes LB.

Referring now to Fig. 2 the listing shaft of the machine is shown at l2 and rotates constantly while the machine is listing and total printing at the rate of one revolution for each card cycle. A pair of complementary cams l4 coact with a double-arm follower lever it connected by link l8 and arm 20 to rock shaft 22. Zero printing shaft 24 and hammer actuating shaft '26 are also driven from shaft I! through train of gearing generally designated 28. Fixed to the rock shaft 22 (Fig. 1) is a rock lever 30 one of whose arms is connected by a link 32 to a bail 34 which rises and lowers in response to the rocking of lever 30. The ball 34 engages the upper edge of an arm 36 pivoted at 38 and connected at its free end to type bar 40 through link 42. As the rock shaft 22 rocks during a printing cyclethe ball 34 rises and all the arms 36 will be rocked in a clockwise direction through the action of springs 88 connected thereto, thus elevating type carriers 88 to successively bring each type 88 into active printing position with respect to platen roll 88.

Any of the type 88 may be selected for printing by arresting the type bar with the desired type 88 opposite the platen 88. This is accomplished by energization of the printing control magnet I8 which attracts its armature 88 and pulls a call wire 82 to the right releasing latch 88 and permitting a pawl 88 to be moved by its biasing spring 88 to engage with ratchet teeth integral with the type bar.

When the bar is thus engaged it will no longer follow the ball 88 in its-upward movement but will remain stationary in the selected printing position until it is restored during the latter part of the cycle by the downward movement of the ball 88.

A printing hammer 88 is impelled against the selected type element 88 concurrently with the release of pawl 88 so that printing is effected immediately upon arrival of the selected character in printing position. This is effected in the following manner: Shaft 28 which is constantly driven from shaft I2 as explained is provided with a plurality of flutes or teeth 82 which are adapted to engage a tooth 88 in link 88 when the latter is depressed. Carried by link 88 is a spring pressed latch 88 cooperating with a vertical link I8 whose lower end is loosely connected to an arm of releasing latch 88. Upon counterclockwise rocking of latch 88 link I8 is drawn downwardly and through latch 88 will tilt link 88 in a clockwise direction about its pivot point on hammer 88 thus moving tooth 88 into engagement with one of the teeth 82 on shaft 28. Continued rotation of shaft 28 will draw link 88 to the right thereby positively impelling hammer 88 against type 88 to urge the latter against platen.

As link 88 is moved to the right latch 88 is moved out of cooperation with link 18 and the free end of link 88 engages a camming surface 12 which forces the link upwardly out of engagement with shaft 28 in which position it is retained by its spring I8. Release of link 88 from shaft 28 may take place just prior to the actual printing contact of type 88 with platen 88. the parts continuing to advance to complete the impression. under their accumulated momentum. After printing, type 88 and hammer 88 will rebound to restored position aided by their individual springs I8 and 18 respectively.

After printing has taken place in the last type position pawls 88 and latches 88 are positively restored in the following manner: Referring to Fig. 2 shaft I2 carries a roller arm 88 which is adapted to strike arm 82 and through link 88 rock shaft 88 in a clockwise direction. Shaft 88 carries ball 88 and has link connection to a bail 88 the parts being so proportioned that pawls 88 are restored in advance of the restoration of latches 88.

Type bar 88 is provided with nine ratchet teeth for selecting each of the nine digits. A fixed bar 8| serves as a zero positioning stop when engaged by the upper end of the toothed portion of the type bar. It is thus apparent that all type bars that are not intercepted to print a significant figure will advance to present their zero type to the printing line and such zeros may whe printed in a manner now to be explained.

type bar 88 carries a pin 82 which when thir bar is in lowered or restored position engages an arm 88 pivoted at 88 and holds a brush 88 thereon out of engagement with commutator I88 carried by continually running shaft 28.

As the bar rises through the several digit positions pin 82 moves upwardly toward an arm I82 pivoted at I88, permitting brush 88 to engage commutator I88. As the bar passes from the I to zero position pin 82 tilts arm I82, raising brush I88 from commutator I88 and lowering brush .I88 thereon. At the same time commutator I88 bars will have moved to zero printing position.

In this particular number it is necessary to print zeros from the two type bars to the right of the 8 and when such bars are at zero printing position the parts will occupy the relative positions indicated in Fig. 3. Printing magnets I8 of the 8 and 2 have previously been energized by circuits extending from negative side of line through contacts II8, common contact bar II2, holes in the card, brushes LB, wires II8, magnets I8 to positive side of line II8. At zero position of type bars 88 and commutators I88 current will fiow from negative side of line through wire II8, brush I88 of the leftmost position, conducting ring of commutator I88, brush 88, wire I28, magnet I8 of the next order to line I I8. From line I28 the current will branch to brush I88 of the second position, commutator I88, brush 88, wire I28 to the third magnet I8. The two central type bars will thereupon have their hammers tripped in a familiar manner and zero printing will be eifected.

In a similar manner magnet l8 of the order furthest to the right will also be energized but since its type has already been interrupted at I this has no efi'ect since link I8 and latch 88 have not been restored to normal latching position.

It is sometimes desirable to split a printing bank into several portions on each of'which independent numbers may be printed and in this case the zero printing control circuit must be interrupted at the splitting point of the bank.

This may be done by rocking an arm I22 (Fig. 1)

in a counterclockwise direction thus causing its inner end to cam arm 88 to its clockwise position and hold it there. Where such splitting is effected it will be apparent from an inspection of Fig. 3 that the zero printing circuit will be interrupted at such point preventing either the initiation or extending of a zero printing operation through the locked unit.

The invention has now been described in connection with a single embodiment but it is to be understood that this is for convenience of disclosure and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. I intend to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. In a printing mechanism, a plurality of type carriers, printing means therefor, means controlled by the movement of a carrier for controlling printing from an adjacent carrier and means controlled by movement of said first named carrier beyond a predetermined point for rendering said print controlling means inefi'ective.

2. In a printing mechanism, a plurality of type carriers, printing means therefor, electrical controlling devices for said means, means controlled by the movement of a carrier for controlling said devices for controlling printing from an adjacent carrier and manual means for rendering said controlling means inefiective.

3. An automatic printing device comprising a movable type carrier having a plurality of spaced type thereon, means for selecting said type for printing, printing means controlled by said selecting means to efl'ect printing concurrently with selecting and further means to efi'ect printing independently of said selecting means.

4. An automatic printing device comprising a plurality of type carriers each having a plurality of digit type and a zero type spaced thereon, a printing hammer individual to each carrier, control mechanism for selecting and concurrently printing from said digit type and additional control mechanism for zero type printing operated for each carrier under control of type selection on the serially higher adjacent carrier.

5. In a record controlled machine, electric record analyzing means, a plurality of type bars each with a plurality of significant figure type and a zero type thereon, an individual electromagnetic device for selecting the significant figure type on each bar and for causing printing therefrom, a circuit for each electromagnetic device controlled by the analyzing means for type selection and printing, and an auxiliary circuit for each electromagnetic device controlled by the selection of type on another bar for governing the printing of said zero type.

6. In a printing mechanism, a plurality of type carriers, printing hammers therefor, electrical controlling devices for said hammers and means controlled by the movement of a carrier for controlling said devices to eifect operation of the hammer of an adjacent carrier.

' FRANK J. F'URMAN. 

